Are Mormons Allowed to Wear Jewelry?

Easy: Yes.  Now, if you read only one more thing today, skip to the italicized paragraph below.

Boring Paragraph Here:
However, men are discouraged from piercing their bodies, and women from wearing more than one set of piercings.  I suggest two possible reasons: One is we try to treat our body with respect because they are a gift from God. The other is that we try to maintain a respectable appearance because the reality of things is, that our ability to influence others for good can be limited by an appearance that distracts people from our message.  Mormon or not, I recommend this to you; you can argue for the ideals of tolerance and non-judgemental-ism all you want, but in most cases a tattoo or a nose ring is still a check against you in a job interview or a new relationship.

Now, on to the bigger, more interesting issue: 
Are Mormons Allowed _____?  People like to define religion in terms of its negative space - Jehovah's Witnesses can't have a blood transfusion. Catholics can't eat beef on Fridays during Lent.  Where I grew up, the Lutherans traditionally gave something (anything) up for Lent too.  Some injunctions are specific to subsets of a religion. Catholic Priests can't marry. Moslem and Mennonite Women can't go about with their head uncovered. And so on.

So pervasive is the 'definition by exclusion' approach to understanding a theology, that pretty soon the groups do it to themselves. Ask a Mormon Teenager what their religion means, and they might say "No Smoking or Drinking". If they feel bold, they might mention prohibitions on extramarital sex, or sports on Sunday.

Shouldn't a religion be defined in terms of what it does for and to you positively?

It's no wonder that the world views religion generally (and Mormonism especially) as prohibitive.  But what do we gain for these exclusions? Is it limited to the vague and seemingly unprovable promise of escaping from Hell? Or is there more to it than the threat of spiritual death?

In my view, Mormonism is a liberal religion. It believes in widespread (not exclusive) salvation. That's why we baptize for the dead - because while we believe that baptism is required, we believe that you don't necessarily have to have been Mormon to get in to heaven.  Along with that liberal approach to salvation, we believe in good things on this earth. We believe in education: in the Doctrine and Covenants, given by revelation to Joseph Smith, we are commanded to learn history, languages. We are expected to dance, to sing. We are commanded to eat wholesome herbs, fruit, meat, grains, and to enjoy them with thanksgiving. We are expected to marry, to enjoy marital intimacy, to rear children.  Modern prophecy adds to the list: planting a garden, wholesome recreational activities, and so on.

I cannot help but feel that my life would be empty if I had followed the path the world prescribes for me; I would have missed out on the greatest things in life.  I have many beautiful children, I speak different languages, I have seen the world, I cook good food, I play piano and read good books. I have restful Sundays  and associate with many good people.

Of course we have commandments. They are designed to protect the most precious gifts in life.  They prevent us from trading the big blessings for little thrills.  You can ruin a family with infidelity.  You can ruin a college education with alcoholism. You can ruin a friendship with dishonesty. No surprises there.

But I am not defined by what I 'cannot' do.  I am the sum of the good things my religion has taught me to become.